Oman’s head coach Erwin Koeman (left) speaks during a pre-match press conference in Doha yesterday, on the eve of their opening match of the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup against Bahrain.
Defending Champions Oman aim to take the game-to-game approach as they target a place in the semi-finals of the 24th Arabian Gulf Club.
Oman, coached by Dutchman Erwin Koeman, take on Bahrain in their opening Group B match at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium here today.
“We are ready and we have been well trained and have done the necessary work in the past days. Our last training was this morning and we have high expectations and positive energy for defending the title, and we are ready for the competition,” Koeman said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.
The elder of the Koeman brothers, Erwin having worked as assistant coach to younger brother Ronald, stepped in as Oman coach in February 2019 replacing compatriot Pim Verbeek.
Asked whether there was any pressure on his team as they are the defending champions, Koeman said: “There is no pressure at all, and I am working to ease the pressure if it exists. I trust the players and the strength of the Omani lies in its cohesion and I am happy here to defend the title and my first goal is to get to the semi-finals and then the final.”
“The expectations are always high – especially if you are defending champions - but that’s not a problem, there’s not much difference between teams. This is a special tournament for all teams. We are looking forward to it - very important for every team,” he added.
“Winning the tournament depends on several factors, including luck, but we will try to focus on the Bahrain game first and then talk about other things,” Koeman said.
As for the frequent changes in the team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers, Koeman said: “Sometimes you need some changes for several conditions such as injury, recycling and other conditions and this is present in all teams. I made five changes in the last period. I trust all the players and I know everything in my team, and everything I do I know its consequences well.”
Koeman has overseen an impressive run of just one defeat in his last eight outings with the Red Warriors.
“I have been with the Omani team for nine months and I am happy with what the players have been doing, and the team has been doing well in the last period and focused on the physical side because it is important in delivering a very high performance, and we have to find solutions to improve the level of players.”
Bahrain coach Hélio Sousa said his team is ready and raring to have a go at the title while terming Oman as difficult opponents.
“It is a difficult game, they are the champions. For two or three years they have improved their global rankings in FIFA and they have several strengths,” Sousa said about Oman.
“We are ready to face Oman and, as far as I know, the tournament has a great history. They (Oman) won the last version of the championship and they are good, but we are ready too,” said the former Portugal midfielder.
The 50-year old said Bahrain, which is one of the two teams which are yet to win the Gulf Cup, are keen to ’achieve’ something in Qatar
“We are here to play good and achieve something for Bahrain,” Sousa said.
About preparing for the tournament, Sousa said: “We are well prepared to win every game. The first game is very important. Our goal is to reach the semi-finals and then think about winning the title.”
Concerning the impact of the late participation and the readiness of the team for the championship, Sousa said: “We participate in this competition in order to continue the team building process. We are developing at every stage and we know what our players need and this tournament came at the right time. Our goal is to win and we have to fight for victory.”
